Presley

"Luke?!"

I gape at my cousin who's standing at my front door. "Wait! Are you a ghost?" I touch his face and pinch his cheeks. He winces and groans.

"Oh, Presley, stop it. It's me, alright?" Luke says, feigning annoyance.

"Oh my god!" I pounce on him, almost putting him off balance. "I'm so happy to see you!"

He chuckles, returning my hug. "It's great to see you too, kiddo."

"Oh, I'm not a kid anymore. I'll be turning eighteen in December. Also, you're just a few years older than me, Luke."

"Oh, I know." He grins.

"I thought you guys weren't coming until Thanksgiving."

"Yeah, well, I wanted to pay my cousin an early visit."

"Aw! But, you're coming back for Thanksgiving and then again for Christmas, right?"

"Yup." Luke's grin widens.

"Where's Emily, Alex, Caleb and the baby? OMG!" I squeak. "Where's the baby? I wanna see the baby!"

"I need to help Em and the baby out of the car, and I've no idea where the two bastards are. Could you do me a huge favor and look for them while I go check on Em?"

"Sure."

A few years back Emily enrolled as a student at Eastern Michigan University in Leigh Falls. Luke just so happened to be her English literature teacher there. They fell in love, and the rest is history. Emily had lost both her parents and had been raising her little brother, Alex, on her own, while also going to uni. Coincidentally, it had been the same with Luke and his brother, Caleb. Luke and Em got married last year and they had a baby whom I can't wait to see.

I twist my room's door knob only to find it locked. Holding my ear against the door, I listen to any movement inside my room.

"Prepare to attack," someone whispers close to the door.

I knock before the little rascals swing the door open and pounce on me. There's shuffling inside before someone speaks."What's the password?"

I wrack my brain for a password and come up with the only Star Wars referral I know. The two of them are obsessed with it. "Darth Vader?"

"Password complete!" The door opens slowly, revealing the culprits, Caleb and Alex. "Oh. Hey, Presley," Alex says.

"We— um, we were just looking for you in here," Cale continues after the other boy.

"Oh, really?" I say.

"Yeah," Alex says, scratching the back of his head while Cale stares at his feet. "Oh, great. You found me. Now come on, let's go help Luke with the bags." "But, we have a mission to complete," Cale whines.

"Okay, fine. I'll go help him, but please don't mess up my room, guys."

"It was already a mess before we even started our mission," he says. "Thanks anyway, Presley." They both hug me around the waist before going back inside my room. They've grown a lot taller since the last time I saw them. Both of them are almost up to my shoulder now.

When I go back downstairs, Luke has already got the bags out and everyone's in the living room, circling the baby. Gramma's holding her.

"Hey, Presley." Emily gets up from the sofa to hug me. "It's so good to see you again."

"Yeah, Em, it's great to see you too. Oh, by the way, the two culprits are completing a 'mission' in my room upstairs." I make air quotes.

"Alex warmed up to you pretty fast the last time we met, you know? He's usually shy around new people." Alex, Emily's brother, is a very sweet kid while Cale's always been the mischievous one.

"Oh. A lot of people say I'm good with kids, but I don't see how." I shrug.

Emily's very sweet and kind, and one of my favorite people. I started liking her immediately when I met her for the first time before the wedding.

I turn my attention to Gramma. "Now can I please hold her?"

"Of course, sweetheart." She smiles, gently placing the baby in my arms. I sway her gently from side to side and sit down on the sofa.

"She's so beautiful. Looks a lot like you, Em," I say, gazing down at the baby. She stares up at me, eyes wide.

"Yeah, I get that a lot—"

"A little too much, actually," Luke says, coming up behind her and planting a kiss on her neck.

"Ooh. Someone seems a little jealous..." I laugh softly.

"No, I'm not," Luke scoffs.

"Who said it was you?" Em asks, ruffling his hair. "And, yes, you are, babe. But don't worry. Who knows? Maybe our next baby will look just like you."

"Maybe," he grunts, making the rest of us laugh. He brings his hands up to her stomach and rubs gently.

"Wait! You're not pregnant again, are you?" I ask, astonished.

Emily winks at me.

"But it's only been about six months...ohh...wait...is that even possible?" I inquire.

She chuckles. "Luke's sexually active. Also, he's been trying so hard to get me pregnant again since three months after Hope was born."

"Oh wow." I scrunch my nose up, not wanting to know any more about my cousin's sex life. "How far along are you?"

"Two months. I'm due in February," Em says while Luke nuzzles her neck.

"Congrats, you two." I grin at them happily before looking back down at tiny Hope. "Hey, little one." At the sound of my voice, Hope reaches up with her tiny hands.

"Let's go have something to drink," Grandpa says, leading Luke and Emily towards the dining table.

"Presley, holler if you need anything," Emily calls.

It's almost six in the evening and all of a sudden, I get this stupid idea and my free hand which isn't holding baby Hope works before my mind even gets to catch up.

"Hey. What's up?" Deon says, picking up on the fourth ring.

"Is Bree there?"

"Uh, yeah. Give me a sec." There's shuffling on the other side before I hear a distant, "Bree, It's for you."

"Hello?" Her sweet voice sounds confused.

"Hey, Bree. It's Pres—"

"Pesley!" She shrieks into the phone and I pull it away from my ear for a second. "When are you gonna come over to see me?"

I tell her that there's a little surprise for her at my house and ask her to come over with Deon. I can hear her excitement in her high-pitched squeal.

Exactly five minutes later, someone rings the bell, and Grandpa gets the door. Bree comes running inside, dragging a curious-looking Deon by the hand.

"She's really cute," she says, sitting next to me on the sofa. "What's her name?"

"Hope," I say, cooing at the little sweetheart who hasn't made a fuss even once since she got here.

"Is she your baby?" Shit! I definitely did not see that coming.

"Um, no. She's my cousin's."

"Why don't you have a baby?" Her light blue eyes stare at me. They nearly look the same as Deon's, but a little lighter. I should have thought this through or even prepared myself before inviting Bree. I look to Deon for some help, but he just shrugs, smirking.

"Because I'm waiting until it's the right time," I offer, not knowing what to say.

"When is the right time?" Oh, God.

"That's enough questions for now, Bree." I'm grateful when Deon interrupts.

"Okay. Can I hold her hand?" Bree asks, turning impatient. I sigh, glad she didn't ask the thousand-dollar question, 'how are babies made?'

"Of course. But you need to be very gentle. She's still only five months old." I lean back on the settee with Hope, giving Bree more space. She coos at Hope and starts playing peekaboo.

"Hey, come sit down," I tell Deon and he slowly lowers himself down onto the chair next to me. "My cousins came from Leigh Falls today, and this little cutie right here is their baby. Isn't she adorable?"

"Yes, she is." He seems unusually quiet. His voice is almost a whisper. "I remember when Bree was like that. I'm actually a little afraid of holding babies. They are so tiny and they seem so... fragile."

"Do you wanna hold her?" I ask, smiling.

"I do, but I'm scared that I might drop her or something. I've never held one before."

"Oh, don't worry. The moment you feel uncomfortable, let me know, and I'll take her back."

"Okay." Deon smiles nervously and leans back in his chair.

"Bree, let's give her to Dee Dee to hold for a little, shall we?" I say and Brianna nods. I get up from the sofa and gently place Hope in his arms ready to take her back if he wants me to. He tenses up a bit but slowly relaxes. Hope stretches her arms out and makes grabby hands at him, giggling. He touches her hand gently, and she grabs his pinky and wraps her tiny fingers around it. I wait for a good fifteen minutes before taking her back, but suddenly her little face scrunches up and she starts crying. I sway her from side to side, cooing at her, but she doesn't stop.

"Can I hold her again?" Deon asks, stretching out his arms. I place her in them again and she stops crying.

Just like that.

I stare at him, shocked.

"What are you? The baby whisperer?" I smile at him, glad that he got used to holding a baby so fast. But, now I've got competition. "I'm usually great with babies."

He smirks at me, raising an eyebrow. "Are you jealous?"

"No," I scoff.

"What was the magic spell you did to stop her from crying, Dee Dee?" Bree asks, amused.

"It's a secret," he whispers, making Bree go "Ooh."

In just a matter of minutes, Hope falls asleep in his arms, clinging onto his shirt with her tiny fingers, and it's such an adorable sight.

* * *

It's ten o'clock when I come back downstairs after helping Luke's family settle in the two visitors' rooms. The two rooms aren't very big, but they assured me they could manage.

"You should lock the front door after seeing someone out at night. Anyone could break-in, you know."

I nearly shriek and jump out of my skin at the sound of Deon's voice coming from behind me. Holding my hand against my thudding chest, I spin around to see him casually lounging on the settee in the living room. He's still wearing the same green T-shirt and black shorts he was wearing earlier, but also, I see his car keys dangling from his index finger. His hair is its usual tousled mess, which makes him look mouthwateringly sexy.

"What are you doing here? I thought you left. Where's Bree?" My heartbeat gradually slows down.

"I did leave." Deon chuckles and then he's on his feet in an instant and before I know it he's right in front of me, taking up my personal space. "I dropped Brianna home and came back. Um, the door was unlocked, so I let myself in. And I'm sorry for scaring you."

I gulp audibly. "Oh. Um, that's alright. No worries."

"I uh... want to show you something." He glances down at his feet, steepling his fingers together until his knuckles go white. I take a cautious step backward.

And that's when it hits me like a bucket of ice cold water.

I've seen this habit of his before; fiddling with his fingers. The first day he came to my house about three months ago. The day he blew my mind with his fingering skills— Ahem— I mean guitar-playing skills. Dang it, Maddy.

He's nervous.

I gently place my hand on his arm. "What is it?"

"Not here." His beautiful baby blue eyes trail up my body until they're resting on my boring hazel ones. "Um, do you wanna maybe come with me for a drive?"

Without hesitating or second-guessing I nod my head slowly before verbalizing. "Sure."

"Really?" Deon asks, surprise and amusement taking over his face.

"Yep." I smile.

"Okay. Um, my car's outside."

"Okay. Could you give me a few minutes to change into something else?" I gesture at the wrinkled blue and yellow flower-printed knee-length wraparound dress I'm wearing.

"There's no need. It's just the two of us, and it's not that far."

"Oh, okay. Give me a sec." I rush into the dining room and grab the set of house keys from the key hook on the wall. Leaning against the wall, I rethink going with Deon. Maybe I shouldn't. I have no idea what this is we have or where this is going. Also, I'm really afraid of getting hurt once again, and I'm not sure if it's worth giving whatever this is a try. Finally, I make my way back to the living room and grab my phone off the settee. "Let's go."

I follow Deon out of the house and lock the front door behind me. Although it's very unnecessary, he opens the car door for me and I thank him before he goes around to the other side and gets in. Cranking up the engine, he presses a button between our seats, and the car's roof slides back slowly.

Impressive.

"So um...where are we going?"

"You'll see." He gives me a cute dimpled smile.

Oh God.

What if he's a psychopath? Or an axe-murderer? Why did I never think of this before? Another creepy fact is that all psychopaths are charming. Just like him. What if he charms me to death? Is that even possible? Deon must see the horror on my face because he places his hand on top of mine on my lap and assures me. "Don't worry. Trust me, you'll like where I'm taking you." Then he chuckles and adds as if he could read my mind, "And I'm not kidnapping you."

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